(MY) Help strays at RM1 a day

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Help strays at RM1 a day

New Straits Times

2007/06/10

 

PETALING JAYA: How often have you looked at a stray cat and thought " I wish I

could give you a home " .

 

Or wondered where that stray dog sleeps on a cold and rainy night and felt a

twinge of guilt because you were unable to take it home and care for it.

 

Well, you can give stray animals a home at the Furry Friends Farm in Kundang,

Selangor, set up about seven months ago.

 

And the mongrels, if they have a suitable character, can " pay back " by becoming

Dr Dogs after they are adopted

 

Launched yesterday at Central Park in Bandar Utama, the FFF’s Dr Dog programme

is the first internationally-accredited animal assisted therapy programme in the

country.

 

FFF founder Sabrina Yeap said animal lovers who cannot adopt a stray can bring

it in to the farm and sponsor its upkeep for RM1 a day until it is adopted, and

pay for it to be neutered, wormed and vaccinated.

 

Or they can get it done by their own vet, but they must provide documentation

proving it has been done.

 

FFF decided to use mongrels in the Dr Dogs programme, training dogs to provide

solace to orphans, the elderly and the sick, as a means of highlighting the

plight of unwanted mongrels, said Yeap.

 

Most Malaysians prefer pedigrees, so mongrels who do not find homes are often

put down.

 

To qualify for the Dr Dogs programme, the dog has to be at least two years old,

neutered, vaccinated and wormed and must have lived with its new owner for at

least six months.

 

The training also reinforces the bond between owners and dogs, as only owners

are allowed to be handling volunteers.

 

Older dogs have a better chance of becoming Dr Dogs, as they are more gentle and

sensitive, making them easier to train.

 

After the training, the dogs are tested by Animals Asia Foundation founder Jill

Robinson, who started the first animal assisted therapy programme in Hong Kong

16 years ago.

 

Once the Dr Dogs programme is off the ground, FFF plans to start a Cuddly Cats

programme.

 

Cats are taken to visit people in hospitals and homes to take their mind off the

pain. They also help to give the infirm and elderly people a sense of

companionship.

 

Yeap is also trying to get the Ministry of Housing and Local Goverment's

approval to allow FFF to build sheds at a few hospitals in the Klang Valley, so

patients can be brought down for a visit with a Cuddly Cat or a Dr Dog.

 

Photo:

Jill Robinson (third from left) showing the puppies to children at the launching

of Dr Dog programme and Furry Friends Farm at the Central Park in Bandar Utama.

With them are Animals Asia Foundation official Anna Mc Laughlin (second from

right) and Sabrina Yeap. —Picture by Mohd Radzi Bujang

 

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